Fork-tine straightener



.J. T. PEDERSEN FORK TINE STRIGHTENER July 1o, 192s.

Filed N0V 23. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet INVEVNTOR ./amf Tfederfzz,

fe' zz July 10, 1928.

J. T. PEDERSEN FORK TINE STRAIGHTENER 2 sheets-sheet 2 -z muy?,

Filed NOV. 25, 1926 4Q- M, j

Patented July 10,1928. l

` f narranv sfreins JOHANNES m11. rnDEnsnN, or rLUsiirNG, NEW YORK.

. FORK-TINE STRA1GHTENER.

Appiicaaon'fiiea November 23, 192e. serial No. 150,178. 'i

mayl be maintained in a .presentable and vusable condition. Heretofore, so fai as I 'am aware, it has been customary to straighten fork tines by handv and the useV of pliers or other suitable tools. Obviously,

.y this is moreo'i' less of a laborious operation yand one which consumes a relatively large amount of time. The object of my present invention is the Yprovision of an apparatus by which fork tines may be easily and quickly straightened when bent out of shape whereby the forks'niay be kept in presentable shape with a minimum expenditure of time and labor. v

In carrying out the invention as hereinafter described the apparatus made in accordance therewith includes a base, av yield-- ingly mounted block, a swinging member adapted to cooperate with the block with the tines of a fork intervening, and means for operating the swinging frame to move thereby tor Y'the same lacross the 'block straightenthe bent tines of the fork.

The particular construction of the parts of the device to which reference has hereinbefore been generally made will be hereinafter Vmore particularly describedY in con` junction with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the fork tine straightener made in accordance withA "my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan on line 2.2,V Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on line 3-3, .,Fig. 2 illustrating the swinging frame and parts associated therewith in oppositely dis.- posed positions, one of which is indicated in dotted lines. y Fig. 4 is a section online 4.-4, Fig. '1. y Fig. 5 isa plan view of the block.

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6 6, Fig. 5, and VFig. r7 is a section illustrating the construction of the disks and washers associated therewith.

' By reference tothe drawing it lwillfbeseen `V that in carrying out the invention the fork tine straightener made in accordance there-V with 'is constructed to linclude base 10` which by suitable screwsll or otherwise inafy'ubeconnected tok a table orgotherv` supportv so asto'be maintained in a fixed posif tion gthereon." It willbe understood, however, that it is not necessaryin the use of thev apparatust'o yhavethe saine secured to" any support. Extending vupwardly from the base 10 there are oppositely placed standards 12 and 13. block or bed member 14e. This isiprefer-v ably rectangular inplan and the Aupper stirface 15 of which is slightly concave and provided witha series of'ribs 16 and intel vening grooves 17 The upper faces of the .65- Between these standards is ribs 16`Ipreferably taper from-the frontend 18 to the rear end 19 of the block, and the side faces of the ribs '16 yare preferably inf clined as is clearly indicated in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawing. v

In the opposite faces ofthe block there are slots 20 for the reception of the ends of screw trunnioiis 21 which'extend throughv the A standards vl2 and 13 ,andV into the slots 2O whereby the'blockis secured iiiV place be tween the standards andV is movable in.v a substantially vertical direction between the same. Asillustratedfin lthe drawing, the

block issupported uponsprings 22 andv 23 so as to be furthermore yieldingly mountedy To this .endy the between the standards. lower face ofthe block is provided with a lug 24 and thev upper surface of `thebase with a lug 25. The ends of the spring 22 extend over these lugs 24 and 25 fand Aare maintained Yin position thereby. Similarly at the other end; the block is provided with a lug 26 andonthe base there is Va lug 27.

' The ends of the `spi-ing 23 extend' over these lugs whereby the spring is 'maintained in position thereby. It will be understood,

however, 'that' other equivalent-and equally advantageous means may beemployed for v y yieldinglymounting the Vblock on the basev l between the standards. 1 'Y At the front orV forward end of the block ltthei'e is a bracket 28.l This bracket is se `v cured in position'by' means `of screws 29 or justingV screw 32 passes. This adjusting screw may be turned down to any desired extent in a tapped opening provided there-V for in the4 base so as to determine the posi-V tion in which thev arm will engage the head 33 of the screw as indicated inrFig. 3

` of the drawing.

Mounted between the upper ends of the standards 12 and 13 there is a swingingV frame comprising a head 34 and a pair of oppositely disposed jaws 35 and 3G. EX-

l tending through a bore in the head 34 there is an eccentricsleeve 37. Apin 38'passes throughthe Veccentric sleeve V37 andV also through the walls ofthe standards 12 and13` in which the pin may be liXed in position by ineansofa set screw139 or otherwise.

The eccentric sleeve 37' is provided with avhandle 4() for operating the same.

This handle l is' preferably placed atV one end of the sleeveand at the corresponding end the head f 34 is cut away as ii'idicated atv41 making i so'that whenv placed togetheras clearly illus-V trated vin Fig. 7 these plates form a comstandard 12.

'f provision lfor the movement ofthe handle a series of disks and intervening washers Y r Each disk 50 is preferably composed of two oppositely disposed steelvor other sheet metal plates 52, 53 `wliich are suitably pressed or otherwise formed into a cup'sliape pressible or yielding disk. Between each diskv ashereinbefore stated, there is a washer 51 and the disks and the washers extend `between the jaws 35 and SG'and are revolubly mounted on the shaft 49.

The'number of the disks employed cor-.

responds with the number of grooves in the block 14and inasmuch as it is customary to make forks with four tines7 in the appa- .ratus-as illustrated there are four ribs 16 and tive grooves17 and 5 of the ,disks 50.

'As` illust-rated, the swinging head may be yieldingly maintained in positionfin contact with the inner face of the vstandard 13 by meansI of a pin54'passing througlian aperture provided therefor inthe standard 12 and carried by a spring 55 which may be secur din position by means of the head ofthe screw 21 which passes through this l standard 12.'

In the.v construction.ofthe/apparatus hereinbefore described, the upperjfaces of the ribs' 16 in the block are made to con- Vfof the ribs of the block.

the partsV of the apparatus -are vin substanform generally tothe conliguration in plan of the tines of a fork and are correspond.- iiiglyplaced so that in theuse of the apparatus a fork may be passed through a slot 56 in the bracket 28 wliichrslot acts as a guide and spacer Vfor the fork so that the tines of the fork lie upon the upper faces tiallythe position shown in dotted lines in Fig.` 3 and in `which the handle may be in When this is done contact with the arm 44 andthe disks and washers in ther swinging frameare sulii-vr c iently spaced from the Yupper surface of the block to' permit the insertionjand proper placing .of the fork. With the fork thus in `position the handle is swung counter clockwise as viewed in Figs. 1 and l3 to the position indicated in Fig. 1 in which the handle abuts against'theslioulder 42. 13efore the Vhandle reaches this position how.v

ever, `due to the eccentric sleeve turning in thehead the frame of which the head is ay part vis moved downwardly to `bring` the edges of the disks into contact with the edges of the tines of the Vfork and to permit the peripheral portions ofthcdisks to eX- tend into the grooves of the block.

or less forceful Contact with the tines of the fork. rThereafter,.and by the continued movementpof theA handle in this Ycounter-` clockwise position as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3 the vswinging.frame may be moved from the full line position as shown in Fig. 1 to the vfull line position shown in Fig. In so doingV the rswinging head isvmovedv against the block depressing against the'action of the springs 22 and 23 and bringingthe disks '.into more forceful cont-act with the tines of the fork' and press ing the saine between the disks, wh'zcli may yield to a slight extenta and the surfaces of the ribs.

the' same l 1t. will be understood that the 'inclinedoppositely disposed faces of the ribs so f Y Then as willbeiinderstood, the disks are in moreV c iop areset at an angle which corresponds approximately with the tapered peripheral portions ofthe disksl so that as the swinging frame is moved from one operative position to the other the disks are at all times maintained in Contact with the tines of the fork and insuch a manner as to also maintain the tines of the fork against the upper or 'n outer faces yof the ribs whereby if crooked or bent out of shape 'tlie-tines of the fork will be straightened. After reaching the eX- i treme end of the travel'of the swinging head which is indicated in Fig. ,3 the fork may be removed from the apparatus. Y This i position as will now bev understood is deter.n mined by the stop pin 45 coming into contact with the b ase of the recess 47 as clearly indicated in F ig. 3 of the drawing, whereasV the ext-reine movement of the swinging frame in the other direction is limited and magia determined Ythe stop" pin 46 coming'into c''intact,` with the base of the recess 48 as is indicatedy in Fig. l if the drawing.

It will be understoodthat the apparatus herein shown and described is more 'or less 4illustrative'of theconstruction of an apparatus "in which my presentl invention may be embodied, inasmuch as various other and equivalent constructions may be employed without departing from the natu-re and spirit of the invention; for example the head member cooperating with the block to straighten the tin-es of a fork may be actuated by any suitable means and caused to move in any necessary manner or direction instead of swinging across the block as illustrated in the form of the invent-ion shown inthe drawings and hereinbefore,particularly described.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a fork tine straightener, a base, a block yieldingly mounted on the base, a

swinging frame, means for moving the;

swinging frame across the face of thev block, and a revoluble member carried by the swinging frame and adapted to cooperate with a fork placed between the vsame and the block for straightening the tines of the fork as the said revoluble member is carried by the frame across the face of the block.

2. In a fork tine straightener, a base, a block yieldingly mountedv on the base and having a plurality of spaced ribs in the upper face thereof, a swinging frame, a mem? ber carried by the swinging frame and adapted to cooperate with the ribs in the block for straightening thetines of a fork intervening between the same, and means for actuating the swinging frame to move the revoluble member mounted therein across the face of the block.

3. In a fork tine straightener, a. base, standards extending from the base, a swinging frame, an eccentric sleeve journaled in the frame, a pin extending through the eccentric sleeve and fixed in the said standards, means for turning the eccentric sleeve,

and devices carried by the swinging frame and adapted to cooperate with the said block with a fork intervening to straighten vthe tines of a fork. f

4. In a vfork tiney straightener, a base, standards extending from the base, a swinging frame, an eccentric sleeve journaled in Y the frame, a pin extending through the eccentric sleeve and fixed. in the saidk standards, means for turning the eccentric sleeve, devices carried by the swinging frame and adapted to cooperate with the said block with a fork intervening to straigjiten the tines of a fork, and means for `limiting the vextent of the movement of the swinging frame.

`|5'. In a fork!- tine f straightener, abase,

standards extending from the same, a block mounted on the base between'the saidstandards, the upper surface n of the block being i provided with a series of' spacedribsfa Y soL '6. In a forkv tine straightener7 a base, ,j

standards extending from the same, av block mounted on the base between the said stand-v ards, the upper surface of' the block beingprovided with a series of spaced ribs, a swinging `frame comprising a head and spaced jaws adapted to move between vthe said standards, an eccentric sleeve journaled in the said'head, a pinvpassing through the said eccentric sleeve and fixed in the said standards, means for turning the eccentric sleeve for raising and lowering the swinging frame and moving the same across the vface of the block, and a plurality of spaced disks revolubly mounted in the swinging frame and adapted to extend between x and to cooperate with the said ribs in the block with a fork intervening to straightenl the tines of the fork Vwhen the said disks are moved across thel ,face of the block by ltheswinging frame. 7. In a fork standards extending from the same, a block mounted on the base between the said standards, the' upper surface of the block being swinging frame comprising -a head land ,A spacedjaws adapted to move .between thek said standards, an eccentric sleeve journaled in the said head, a pin passing through the tine straightener, a base,

'provided with a series of spaced ribs, a, f

said eccentric sleeve andfixed in the said-` standards, means for turning the eccentric sleeve for raising and lowering theswingv ing frame and moving the saniepacross the face of the block, and a plurality ofdisks and intervening washers revolubly mounted between the jaws of the said swinging frame, each Vof the said diskscomprising a* pair of cup shapeY metal plates placedV together to forma laterally compressible' unit adapted to extend between adjacent ribsin the said block and to engage the sides of the ytines of a fork ,to straighten the same asthe disks are carried across the block by the,V

said swinging head.

4 f e V 1,676,913Y

8."5In a fork 'tine straightener," a, bleek, between `the same and the block for straightafranie, 'member movably mounted in thel ening the cines of thefrk "as the said memsaid frame, andmeans fimovnlgj thesaidber and fname aremoved adress the face of 10 frame and y'che member mounted therein vche block`V Y 'v f Y 5 across the'face ofl the block, thevsaid memf Signed b y methis y27th day of .Oebely vbei` movablymounted inl thefmme being 1926. 4

adapted' foo' cooperate with ajfork placed JOHANNES TH. PEDERSJQN;l 

